


A Summer's Reverie

by AdmantCrow



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa 3: The End of 希望ヶ峰学園 | The End of Kibougamine Gakuen | End of Hope's Peak High School, Super Dangan Ronpa 2
Genre: Alternate Universe - Non-Despair (Dangan Ronpa), Anxiety, Day At The Beach, F/M, First Dates, First Kiss, Fluff, Hinata is an anxious anxious man, Love, Mutual Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:54:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25308571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AdmantCrow/pseuds/AdmantCrow
Summary: One week after beginning their relationship (after a LOT of mutual pining), Hajime and Chiaki take a first date to the beach.
Relationships: Hinata Hajime/Nanami Chiaki
Comments: 7
Kudos: 53





	A Summer's Reverie

Chiaki got to the meeting point nearly an hour early, out of fear of being late. Not that that was really a strange occurrence for Chiaki. She’d do it all the time when heading out with Sonia, Mikan or Ibuki, but it was different today. As always, she sat down near the fountain she was far too familiar with, and clicked open her DS to continue her run of Solatorobo. It’d been a week since she’d started playing this hidden gem… the same day she and Hajime had started dating. She was glad the game was easy, since her focus slipped just enough thinking about that day. She and Hajime had met by chance by this very fountain over a year ago,

Either way, her silly neurodivergent brain had dealt with the giddy stress about her first real date by hyper focusing  _ way _ too hard on playing Dark Cloud half the night, before realising at around 3am that maybe, just maybe she should have some sleep before seeing Hajime at 10am. Even with that wise realisation, she woke up at around 7am, having a breakfast filled with teasing from Sonia and Ibuki, before heading back to her dorm to get changed, pack her ever-attached backpack with everything she could possibly need (complete with her 3DS and Vita cases), before turning up at the fountain at just after 9am. She decided to sit right by the fountain, rather than the bench facing it, since for the love of Meteor, it was so damn hot.

It was the first day of summer break, and so three days ago, Hajime had asked during one of their lunchtime gaming sessions if she wanted to head to the beach with her. He was super awkward about it, akin to the protagonist of a dating sim, but of course Chiaki said yes. There was the obvious worry that came with going to the beach, but this was going to be their first proper date together, so how could she possibly turn him down? Though, on the other hand, she  _ did _ want to dig into a bit of a game marathon at the star of the break. Well, she thought in the end, sometimes she had to make a  _ little _ concession. She could always game all night,anyway.

So, here she was, waiting and trying to untie the knot in her stomach whilst trying to game. It’s not like she hadn’t had this kind of nervousness before; she’d gone through the same kind of thing once she’d first come to Hope’s Peak and spent time with her friends. But this was different. After all, this was her  _ first date _ . Ever since they first met, she’d been close with Hajime - heck, he was her best friend. It hadn’t been long until they’d developed a lot of mutual attraction to one another, but spent the better part of the year being blockheads.

  
  


“H-Hey, Chiaki.” Chiaki almost leapt a metre in the air at Hajime’s greeting, a pretty good indication of how twisted her hyperfocus was. 

“Hey hey.” She murmured, clicking the DS closed. Hajime looked rather tired, but after how warm it was last night, she couldn’t blame him. Despite that, he  _ did _ look pretty stressed, but she wasn’t really one to talk, so she didn’t comment on it.

  
“Been here long?” He asked, waiting for her to get to her feet. Chiaki coughed a little, packing her DS away in her backpack.

“Like an hour.” She said flatly, making Hajime sigh. “It’s cool, I made some good progress so it’s a total positive.”

“Uh huh.” Hajime frowned. Why would he be surprised? She always turned up early to things. Sure, maybe today was a little excessive, but it wasn’t like she had anything better to do before meeting up then playing games. As if she did other things. “Well, the bus is in a little bit, so do you want to head over now?” Chiaki nodded in response.

“Aye aye, captain.” She said, mock saluting in that monotone voice. Hajime giggled a little bit, taking her hand as they walked towards the bus stop just outside Hope’s Peak. It was already so warm, and the sun so bright, making her feel it was a great idea that they’d gone a bit earlier. Any later and she wouldn’t have the willpower to leave her air-conditioned room. “I’ve been looking forward to today all week.” She said after a time, smiling at Hajime. He nodded, albeit a little nervously.

“I-I’m glad. I hope it’s fun there, I haven’t been to the beach in ages.” He squeezed her hand, as if looking for comfort. He was definitely out of sorts, but it was probably nerves, Chiaki decided. Before long, they arrived at the bus stop, and the bus arrived minutes later. The bus ride, around an hour long, was rather quiet. Chiaki, of course, was clicking away at playing Solatorobo. She offered her Vita to Hajime, since she’d gotten him into playing her copy of Persona 4 Golden. He murmured something about not being able to focus and decided to just read a book instead. Chiaki felt more than a little worried about him. Ever since they’d met up, he’d seen skittish and uncomfortable. Was he having second thoughts about the date? Did something else happen? Nine out of ten times, he was always up to play something with but today was the one out of ten, Chiaki reasoned. It just had to be. Either way, slowly her worry faded and she slipped into that ‘zone’, especially when she wasn’t speaking to him.To her, they were there in moments.

“Chiaki.” Hajime murmured timidly, rubbing her arm. “We’re here.” She was silent for a solid few seconds, before clicking the DS closed.

“Hype.” She said flatly, Hajime smiling a little as they disembarked the bus, right in front of the beachfront. Most likely due to the pretty harsh sun and heat, the beach was pretty packed, with dozens and dozens of people wandering, splashing, and relaxing across the brilliant expanse. A few shops and stalls dotted the top of the beach, full of food and space to get out of the sun, which Chiaki found was kind of contradictory. She felt a little overwhelmed by the sheer amount of people around them as they looked for a place to place their things and set up, so she slipped a hand around Hajime’s arm just for that little bit of support. He glanced at her, a little bit of worry crossing his faces, but she gave him a little nod. She’d be fine, she’d be fine. Soon enough, they found a pretty empty spot, so they threw their bags down and began to unpack what they needed. Without a beat, Hajime peeled off his white shirt, exposing his rather… top-heavy torso to the sun and heat. Chiaki gulped, unpacking some of the things they’d brought. Frowning to herself, it felt a little weird being pretty much the only one still dressed, so she just did the obvious thing. 

Quickly enough, Chiaki unbuttoned her black shirt, and slipped off her shorts, revealing her white two-piece swimsuit she’d been wearing underneath her clothes. Hajime spluttered a little, eyes bulging a little bit. “C-C-Chikai, w-what are, u-um…” He trailed off a little, not really getting anywhere with his thoughts. Chiaki tilted her head, not sure what he was surprised about. People wore stuff like this to the beach, so it wasn’t a problem. He’d taken off her shirt, so what was wrong with her being in her swimsuit?

“It was easier to just wear them under my clothes.” she said flatly. Was that weird? She didn’t think it was weird. She saw the blush creep over Hajime’s face as he looked her up and down, and she felt that surge of pleasure, knowing her Charm skill had worked on him, albeit by accident. After all, she didn’t really have a lot of modesty. That was another thing she was going to have to get used to; sure, for months and months they’d felt this way about one another, but now that they really were a party, there was that different way they viewed each other. A very, very good way they viewed each other, she decided, taking a mental picture of Hajime’s rather broad torso and chest. Like she could ever forget, anyway.

“You look, um.” He stammered, smiling a little, quickly getting past the surprise. “Really good, actually.” It was Chiaki’s turn to redden a little bit, a bashful smile coming to her lips. He never really was good at managing his embarrassment and nerves around her, or in general, really. I mean, after close to a year of mutual pining and all that led to  _ her _ , queen of social awkwardness, confessing her feelings to him. If she’d left up to him, they’d never have gotten anywhere.

As he was unpacking their things, Chiaki lazily began to draw in the sand. She didn’t really think of anything to draw, but it wasn’t long until she was drawing a rough Yoshi in sand. “Do you want to go into the water, then?” Hajime smiled as he finished up, and Chiaki’s brain froze up.

She felt the endless drop in her stomach she’d been waiting to open up. Of course it’d been coming, but her stupid little brain had just repressed that, hadn’t it? Her hands became even more focussed on her little sand drawing, her eyes zeroing in on what part of the dinosaur she was trying to sketch out came next. Oh, she should probably have him having him stick his tongue out.

“Chiaki?” Hajime murmured, reaching out to lightly brush her shoulder. She jerked her hand back from her sand drawing, alarm bells ringing in her head. “S-Sorry, are you okay?” He was so easy-going with her, and here she was, just having a moment. Chiaki took a deep breath, as Mikan had always said when she had these moments, and finally looked up at Hajime’s worried face. How could she act like this when he got so worried? The embarrassment and shame of her admission stung a little bit, but this was just one of the steps she had to make to deal with herself. 

“I… can’t really swim.” Chiaki murmured, ashamed. He was going to be annoyed with her now, wasn’t he? He’d been so excited about this day trip, with the heat and beautifully clear weather. She frowned, looking at the sand once again. Hajime’s hand stroked her shoulder tenderly.

“Is that all?” His gentle voice said quietly. “I thought it was something a little worse than that, honestly!” Chiaki gave him a weird look. He wasn’t mad? Her high school friends had never treated her badly, but the ridicule of middle school acquaintances upon learning she couldn’t swim still burned in the back of her head, as all good bullying did. Even her parents had expressed frustration at her seemingly inability to learn properly, and it had become a little bit of a sore spot for her. But hearing Hajime only express concern and relief at her admission… that felt more then a little bit better then what she’d been used to. Like she could imagine him being mad, anyway.

“I’ll teach you, if you want?” He asked, his voice sounding as if it wasn’t sure it was a proposition or a question. “I mean, if you know the basics, it’d be fun to show you a little. And then we can...“ He smiled a little more. “Well, it’d be more fun than swimming alone, I mean.”

“O-Okay.” Chiaki nodded, slowly getting to her feet. She really  _ wouldn’t _ have minded just sitting on the beach, playing games with Hajime. But, wasn’t that all they really did up until now? Now that they were together, properly... Chiaki felt like she had to try a little more. She couldn’t stagnate as a person, and try a little - not just for him, but for herself. Watching Hajime strided towards the water, Chiaki pumpeed herself up a little, and began to follow her partner, but briefly glanced back at their things. She felt more than a little uncomfortable leaving her backpack with their things.The attachment and, well, dependence she placed on it to keep her sane at times made her genuinely stressed to leave it alone, but Hajime assured her he’d keep a n eye on it - as if she wouldn’t be glancing at the beach every other moment. In any case, she had to focus on learning the basics of swimming. At least she wasn’t afraid of the water, or anything. She’d taken some lessons as a kid, but growing up had been… tough with some of her ‘personal traits’, so she’d deferred to just sitting on the beach during trips, which isn't a bad thing, with her games and everything. Having Hajime here, though… she’d try and make the extra effort. Somewhat hesitantly, she made her way into the surf to follow Hajime, step by step until the water reached her lower neck. It was cooler than she expected it to be, which honestly just felt lovely in the scorching heat.  _ “Maybe this really was a good idea. Slowing _ down as the water grew too deep, Chiaki stopped, Hajime turning to hold out his hand. 

“Come on, I gotcha.” He said gently, beaming. How could she let her worries win when she saw that face? The caring, gentle Hajime who just wanted to help. Kicking off the sand, Chiaki threw her arms around Hajime’s neck, his arm wrapping around her lower back to hold her close and half-afloat. He was gentle holding onto her, but Chiaki couldn’t help but giggle at how red his face grew. Oh, her poor shy Hajime. Though, it  _ did _ feel a little strange, at least considering how recently they began dating. As if to distract from his own embarrassment, Hajime began to give her pointers on now, well, sinking into the depths. He was a good teacher, and her fundamentals helped out a lot.

In some ways, her lack of knowledge at swimming paid off. If Hajime was good at anything,it was guiding someone through something. His relief at Chiaki knowing how to not drown instantly was enough for him to guide her through the basics, and it was less than an hour before Chiaki was confident enough to float around unassisted. At the very least, spending much of that hour holding onto Hajime as a float was definitely something she wasn’t going to complain about, though she’d seen Hajime raise his eyebrows when she’d grinned a little  _ too  _ weirdly at him.

Now that she couldn’t, well, drown by accident, the young lovers spent nearly two hours straight in the water, not really doing anything in particular but splashing and messing around, and Chiaki loved every minute of it. Had she really gone so long without trying this? She’d just gotten so used to her own limitations and comfort zones, she’d never really considered actually learning to swim properly at her age. That was another thing about Hajime that was special. He made people the best version of themselves.

Now, if he’d stop surprising her by carrying her around in the water for laughs, that’d be just great.

* * *

_ “This is… nice. _ ” Chiaki thought to herself, stretching out on the towel a little more. Spending time on the beach with her friends had always been nice, but stretching out, half-exhausted from hours of swimming, the warm earth slowly drying her out...that was really, really nice. After getting out of the water, Hajime had stretched out on his towel with his book, snacking one of the bags of potato chips they’d brought with them. Chiaki, absolutely wrecked by swimming, had basically fallen flat on her back, blindly reaching out for snacks and nothing else. She’d been like this for a good half an hour, and she’d probably pass out if she did this anything longer. Yawning loudly, she forced herself to sit up, reaching around for the bag of potato chips they’d opened to snack on. Finding it empty, Chiaki frowned. 

“Hajime, do you have the other…?” Her question trailed off. His book fallen by his side, Chiaki felt her heartbeat quicken as she looked down upon the sleeping Hajime’s form, one of his arms splayed out onto the sand. A thought erupted in Chiaki’s mind; she was still feeling too tired to go back into the water, so without really thinking about it much, she pulled her towel over and laid her head back on Hajime’s broad chest, remarking in it’s warmth and, well, broadness. Hajime probably would’ve thought this a little embarrassing, as shy as he was, but Chiaki’s brain didn’t remotely register that emotion. I mean, with the kind of gamer stuff she did in public, nothing really did, and that was a different issue she had.

Hajime didn’t stir at all, so reaching towards her special bag, she flicked out the DS and began to continue playing (with the sound off, of course) in quite possibly the most relaxing way possible. And it wasn’t like she was doing it for a little while. For the better part of an hour she lay there, feeling the gentle rhythm of the heart beat and the rising falling of his breath. Honestly, if she wasn’t gaming away, she might’ve fallen asleep there and then, and even then she was still feeling the drowsiness creep over her slowly. Honestly, Chiaki wondered if it’d be okay to spend the rest of the day like this, until Hajime shifted a little under her. Glancing up, she found Hajime’s face very close to her, his eyes full of puzzlement.

“C-Chiaki?” He murmured, his partner smiling a little.

“Hey. You awake?” He frowned.

“I think so.”

“Aww, feels bad man.” Chiaki groaned, her boyfriend giving her another one of his trademark ‘looks’. She sat back up, crossing her legs as she smiled playfully at Hajime. “You're pretty comfy as a pillow, y’know.” She added, digging through the bag to find the other load of potato chips after returning her DS to her bag.

“I wouldn’t know.” He grunted, sitting up to grab at the potato chips. “You looked so comfy, I didn’t want to get up, though.” He looked a litle more shy. "You, um, didn't have to get up." She shrugged.

"It's okay." She said, half-lying. Having a nap on him did sound pretty temptinng right now, but if she slept now, she'd be out for the rest of the day. There was nothing for it.  “Wanna go back in the water for a bit?” Chiaki finally asked, getting to her feet. Hajime raised his eyebrows, his features softening.

“First time really swimming, and you’re already so eager?” He smiled, finding his way back up as well. He wasn’t really wrong. Playing video games whilst sleeping on her boyfriend was one thing, but being in the sea, playing around was a kind of game she’d never experienced. It was special, unique. Hajime seemed to have cheered up more than when they first arrived, but there were those moments between the fun where he seemed to grow more stressed and out of place. Not enough that it seemed to be serious, but just enough for Chiaki to worry.

* * *

After a few more hours of play and relaxation, the sun was beginning to dip towards the horizon. Too exhausted to spend any more time in the sea, Hajime asked Chiaki if she wanted to just walk on the shore for a little bit, which Chiaki felt was a good idea since, again, she felt like she was going to pass out again on her towel. The beach was a lot emptier now - with the setting sun, a cool change had swept across the sands, making it feel comfortable, yet not cool enough to get redressed out of their swimsuits. Striding along the shoreline, Hajime’s tense hands tenderly reached out to Chiaki’s hand, his larger fingers interlacing with hers. He felt so nervous, Chiaki thought, but then again, so did she suddenly. Playing together on the beach and the sea was one thing, but this walk, this atmosphere, this… vibe, felt far more personal and intimate. Chiaki realised that since they began dating, this was the first time they’d really ‘been’ together. Not playing together, not just hanging out, but really being together in a romantic way. And that was stressful in a way she didn’t expect. 

“Thanks for teaching me all that.” Chiaki murmured, referring to the swimming, swinging their arms as the two of them walked, hand in hand. Hajime beamed, looking out at the burning orange sea. “Nice to try new things, at least from time to time.”

“It’s no problem.” He replied, glancing back at her again. “Teaching stuff like that’s always been fun, and, w-well, swimming alone would get kinda lonely.” He laughed a little awkwardly.

“I gotta teach you stuff too!” Chiaki declared, feeling fired up. “There’s a whole world I can teach you about, Hajime!” She added, waving out as if that world lay beyond the ocean. Hajime mocked-sighed.

“You just want me to play more games with you.” Hajime said flatly, groaning in an exaggerated manner. Chiaki giggled, before shrugging. 

“I’m not going to lie to you.” She said flatly, looking out at the ocean. “The list of games I want to play with you is probably longer then the list of games I’ve played.” She added, frowning as if she was trying to work it all out in her head. Hajime just gave her an exasperated look.

“That’s… mildly horrifying.” And then they were both laughing again, the good vibes practically emanating from the two of them. They walked along the beach for a bit longer, until they slowed to a stop, looking out at the sunset. It really was beautiful, Chiaki thought, leaning on Hajime’s arm a little. 

“That’s a pretty Pog sunset.” Chiaki blurted out, wanting to see Hajime’s reaction. He seemed to have just ignored it, but she saw the look of utter disbelief in his eyes. “It’s almost as good as the sunset in the new Hitman game.” Chiaki said dryly, Hajime again sighing loudly in jest, before frowning.

“Actually, that’s true. I played that one, and it’s damn good.” He remarked, and they both burst out laughing for a long while, holding onto each other tightly. As the laughter died, they watched the brilliant view in silence, Hajime gently rubbing her back. Chiaki looked up at him, frowning as she saw the mixed look on his face. Something was on his mind.

“Hajime?” Chiaki murmured, turning to face him. “What is it?”

“Was today fun?” He finally asked, holding her close. “I, um, didn’t really know how to have a proper first date or anything, so it’s okay if you weren’t that into it, a-and-” He went on for a little bit, and Chiaki couldn’t help but frown a little bit. This was why he’d had this undercurrent of stress all day, wasn’t it? He was scared she didn’t like the beach as their first date. He really needs more confidence in himself. He was so selfless, always just thinking of his friends and those he cared about.he really did think she didn’t enjoy herself, didn’t he? Now she couldn’t help but frown. Why couldn’t he see the incredible person she saw?

He made her feel alive. Not that she didn’t love being with her friends, but being with him was different. Her friends like Mikan and Sonia liked spending time with her, but they didn’t really get her passions. Hajime was different. He understood how far beyond passion her love for games were. He encouraged it, always pushing her to do what she loved. And from their time together, he’d grown to appreciate and love the medium as she had. And yet he always thought he was convincing everyone else. He’d basically said as much when she’d confessed to him. When he said that the reason he’d never told her how he felt was he’d never be good enough for her.

She’d told him there and then that her boyfriend was an idiot, and that he hadn’t even realised he’d started hugging her once she confessed. And then, for a while, they’d both cried a little bit. They were both idiots. And they were perfect for one another.

“Hajime.” Chiaki murmured, leaning forward a bit. Hajime stiffened up, goosebumps forming on his flesh as her body met his. She was  _ very  _ aware of how much contact they were making, but she thrust away all those worries, all that in-built anxiety. She’d been in love with him for a very long time now, and it was clear Hajime felt the same. Being this intimate with him was almost like a very scary game. Thankfully, she  _ loved _ very scary games.

“Y-Yeah?”

“Today was one of the most fun days of my life. Every day with you is.” Chiaki murmured, and getting onto her toes, lent up and kissed him firmly, feeling her body press against his own.It felt like lightning was pouring through her. Hajime’s hand found itself entangled in her hair, Chiaki’s own hands gripping his back, holding him as close against her as possible. A few people walking past giggled a little at their passionate display of affection, but Chiaki just didn’t care. At the moment, all she cared about was this beach, Hajime, and the sheer emotion emanating between them. If last week’s confession that finally brought them together was a level-up, this was a full-on evolution, Chiaki thought, vaguely cringing at how that sounded. The kiss lasted an eternity, and then they broke away, panting ever so slightly from the sheer emotion burning between them. Chiaki slid her hand up to Hajiime’s face, cupping it gently. She withheld a laugh at just how warm it was. 

“That definitely raised more than a few flags.” Chiaki said flatly, despite her smile. Hajime raised his eyebrows, a big silly smile stretching over his features. That was the Hajime she knew. “I’m so lucky.” She then murmured, stroking his chest with a finger lightly, looking downwards. Her face felt like it was burning up, just a little bit. Or more than a little. By god, he was so warm everywhere, she noted, which wasn’t surprising considering how tightly he was holding her. 

“Hey Chiaki?” Hajime’s timid voice came out.

“Mm?” 

“You’ve looked really, really hot today.” It came out in a big jumble, but Chiaki felt the heat rush to her face. Well, this swimsuit  _ was _ a little generous in showing her body off, but that was Sonia’s suggestion. She was the one who helped pick it out, anyway. Up until now, she’d never really cared about how she looked to other people, but right now, being told how good she looked by Hajime - well, that felt amazing.

“That’s something coming from you.” She grinned, stroking his chest again. “It’s an achievement I learnt to swim whilst being distracted by these.” As if to cement that point, she gave his chest a playful light tap, and it was almost hysterical how his face lit up in embarrassment, though he acted like it was all in his stride. A playful smile came to her face. “I won’t lie and say getting this view didn’t factor into me coming.” That broke through his facaded a little - that and the little kiss she planted on his lips.

“C-Chiaki!” Hajime said, face bright red. She giggled again, rubbing his back. It was so easy to tease him. They were quiet for a long while again, just holding one another tenderly. After Hajime’s comment about how she looked, she suddenly became more aware of just  _ how _ much of their body was making content. About how much their bodies  _ could _ be touching. That thought process didn’t go much further (though that night it surely would), when Hajime sniffeed rather loudly.

“What is it?” She asked softly, stroking his cheek with a smile.

“I-It’s nothing, just…” He sniffed again, and Chiaki felt her heart melt. Her love’s eyes were growing misty, tears threatening to drip down his cheeks. “Thanks for today, Chiaki. And every other day. Really.” He rested his head on her shoulder, and she felt little wet drops drip onto it. She held him tightly, feeling his little shakes as his emotions boiled over. “Everything today was just so… perfect.” 

Chiaki never claimed to know the future, but if she even had a tiny hand in how it panned out, she’d still have him by her side. This silly, stupid, lovely, large-chested man. A flutter of excitement awoke in her chest. If this was what a first date was like, she couldn’t help but be hypeed for what the future held. A long, wonderful feature, full of games and fun and everything in between. 

With Hajime.

* * *

After that little encounter, and taking the time to change into some dry clothes, the two teenagers went to a nice little beachside cafe for a light dinner, Hajime practically demanding he pay, which Chiaki eventually relented on. They didn’t talk much as they ate, which wasn’t bad. It was just nice to be near one another, relaxing from the rather taxing day. The trip home on the bus was nice and relaxing, too. Unlike the morning, Hajime joined in on some handheld gaming and Chiaki couldn’t help but beam at the contrast to the bus rides in. There, he’d been so nervous and fidgety, but tonight’s Hajime was all smiles and laughs, and those gentle laughs filled her with a new energy unlike anything else. He just had that effect on people. Just being near him filled you with a special, unique kind of joy.

That was why she fell in love with him, after all. Well, one of the reasons.

Almost no one was around as they walked back through Hope’s Peak. They didn’t talk much, since they were both completely exhausted from their day out. Both walked rather slowly, Chiaki feeling the hesitation in both of them at the prospect of this wonderful day ending. But, all too soon, they both stood at where their paths converged,clutching one another’s hands tightly.

“Well.” Hajime murmured, beaming at her. “Thanks for a brilliant day.” Chiaki couldn’t help but blush a little at his smile. Once he really was feeling good, his joy was almost too much.

“You’re the one who organised it all.” She told him, squeezing his hand. “I’ll put something together too!” His mock look, almost sarcastic in nature, made her pout and cross her arms, letting go of his hand. “That isn’t  _ just _ playing games, of course.” She added, averting her gaze. Hajime laughed.

“But I’m sure it’ll be a part of it. Not that I’ll complain.” he said, surprising her with a rough yet gentle hug. “Okay, I’m gonna go pass out.” Chiaki reached up to hold his arms, basking in his warmth. 

“Yeah.” Chiaki said, her sadness at their parting readily palpable in her voice. “See you soon.” His arms slipped away, and he began to strided towards the Reserve Course dorms. It didn’t feel right to leave yet. Something was still in Chiaki’s chest, something that wanted to come out. Dating sims had failed her this far, but they’d been terrible teachers anyway. After all, once she started thinking what  _ she _ wanted, and not what felt appropriate, she’d opened her heart and confessed. So, screw it, she thought. She called out after Hajime.

“I-I love you!” She finally stammered out, Hajime stopping in his tracks. Her heart beating like she’d been inflicted with Berserk, Hajime gave her the biggest, sweetest smile she’d ever seen.

“Mhm.” He murmured, striding back to her to cup her cheek with his ever-soft hands. “I love you too, Chiaki.” Leaning down, he gave her a gentle kiss, Chiaki slipping her arms around his middle to hold him close. It was… perfect. A capstone to a wonderful day, worthy of bringing up “The End!” and credits on the screen. It was one of those wonderful moments that lasted forever, yet all too soon faded away. Slipping away from her a little, Hajime rested his forehead on her, his giddy smile stretching from ear to ear. “You make it really hard to leave, y’know.” He murmured. Chiaki couldn’t help but giggle.

“Then don’t. Come back to my room and let’s game all night.” She frowned as a blush crept over his face, and then, all too late, missed the slightly risque tone of her request. “A-Ah, I mean-” Then it was his turn to chuckle.

“It’s fine, I know how your silly little brain works. Honestly, I’m ready to pass out, so I think I’ll pass on gaming tonight.” He ruffled her light hair tenderly. “Make sure you get some sleep, all right?” She pouted a little bit, gripping at his shirt, but finally she let go of him, smiling. 

“No promises.” She said cooly. ”Good night, Hajime.” She murmured, and they seperated, moving to their respective dorms. Chiaki decided she was going to get back to playing Sekiro when she got back to her room, despite her previous fatigue. That little kiss had bestowed on her an incredible buff akin to nothing else. She hummed some themes to an old JRPG as she danced along the path back to the dorms, already feeling her phone buzzing in her hoddie’s pocket.  _ “Sonia, or Mikan, probably.” _ She thought to herself. Well, first she had to tell her friends how her first real date had gone. Well, first her friends, then a shower and then she could spend much of the night playing Sekiro. Perfect.

Though, considering how all she could think of was that moment on the beach with Hajime, a scene she _ knew _ all those crappy dating sims she failed so hard at could never replicate, maybe tonight wasn’t the night she was going to succeed at Sekiro. And for once, that was okay.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
